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Tea West Indies 295 for 4 (Chanderpaul 80*, Ramdin 58*) lead Zimbabwe 175 (Shillingford 5-59, Samuels 3-15) by 120 runs
Chris Gayle's 15th Test century pushed West Indies into a first-innings lead © WICB Media Photo/Randy Brooks
It has been a long tour for Zimbabwe, beaten in all six matches against West Indies so far, but on the second day of the Roseau Test they were presented with a new experience, when they finally fell under the wheel of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. In partnership with Denesh Ramdin, who scored his second half-century of the series, Chanderpaul added an unbroken 114 for the sixth wicket and submitted bowlers of all types to cricket's version of water torture.
Having dismissed Marlon Samuels with the first ball of the day and Chris Gayle, who reached his 15th Test century but only added 40 runs to his overnight score, Zimbabwe may have glimpsed a route back into the contest. If anything, it was merely sweat running into the eyes, as Chanderpaul tapped the match gently but inexorably away from them. The lead was over 100 by tea and, with six wickets in hand, West Indies have the foundation in place to ensure they only have to bat once.
Despite a probing spell from Tendai Chatara early on, any edge on the bowling was quickly worn away. Chanderpaul has never scored a Test century against Zimbabwe - he needs them and Sri Lanka to complete the set - and he would not be hurried in pursuit of one here. He absorbed 207 of the 378 balls Zimbabwe sent down, with only the occasional glide through the covers or crabbed flick to leg to demonstrate that he was actively pursuing runs. Twenty more of them will take him to a 28th Test hundred, one behind Bradman.
He had some luck early on, surviving a handful of half-chances, as well as a forlorn review of an lbw appeal. Zimbabwe's application could not be faulted and the plodding run rate attested to their dogged approach in the field - as much as to Chanderpaul's natural mindset - but the spin that had manifested itself so extravagantly on the first day was largely absent for Graeme Cremer and Prosper Utseya. Cremer drifted a googly past Chanderpaul's outside edge on the brink of tea but that was as close as Zimbabwe came to a wicket in the session.
They had started the second day in the best possible fashion, with a wicket from the first delivery - inevitably, it could only go downhill from there. Gayle then roused himself after an unusually tentative performance on the previous evening, although a brilliant catch from Kyle Jarvis removed him for 101.
Having collapsed in a tangle of limbs against the spin of Shane Shillingford and Samuels, Zimbabwe needed early wickets to prevent the hosts careering away from them. With Gayle and Samuels at the crease, and a deficit of only 61, there was every prospect of West Indies cracking on but Chatara threw a sleeper under the train with his opening delivery, full and wickedly swinging from leg stump to hit off as Samuels played around it.
The unexpected breakthrough ended a 79-run partnership and allowed the bowlers to create some pressure. Chatara, in particular, extracted seam movement from the pitch but there were to be few further rewards.
Chanderpaul may be among the most difficult batsmen in Test cricket to dislodge but he required a bit of luck to remain at the crease, edging Chatara short of the slips and nearly playing on to Jarvis. There was also a sharp chance to leg slip against Graeme Cremer but Hamilton Masakadza was unable to get his hands under the ball; a review was wasted when a Prosper Utseya delivery was shown to be pitching outside leg and missing off.
After scoring a couple of early boundaries, Chanderpaul battened down the hatches. Gayle, too, seemed becalmed, as 44 came from the first 17 overs of the day. Even in Test cricket, Gayle is hard to tie down, however, and he moved from 81 to 100 in five deliveries, three of them swatted lazily over the ropes for sixes. One run after reaching his century, Gayle miscued after taking the attack to Utseya again but it took a terrific catch from Jarvis, running in circles under a swirling ball at wide long-off, to remove him. Gayle had been sent to Room 101 but, at tea, Chanderpaul did not look in the mood to let Zimbabwe off that easily.
Chris Gayle's 15th Test century pushed West Indies into a first-innings lead © WICB Media Photo/Randy Brooks
It has been a long tour for Zimbabwe, beaten in all six matches against West Indies so far, but on the second day of the Roseau Test they were presented with a new experience, when they finally fell under the wheel of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. In partnership with Denesh Ramdin, who scored his second half-century of the series, Chanderpaul added an unbroken 114 for the sixth wicket and submitted bowlers of all types to cricket's version of water torture.
Having dismissed Marlon Samuels with the first ball of the day and Chris Gayle, who reached his 15th Test century but only added 40 runs to his overnight score, Zimbabwe may have glimpsed a route back into the contest. If anything, it was merely sweat running into the eyes, as Chanderpaul tapped the match gently but inexorably away from them. The lead was over 100 by tea and, with six wickets in hand, West Indies have the foundation in place to ensure they only have to bat once.
Despite a probing spell from Tendai Chatara early on, any edge on the bowling was quickly worn away. Chanderpaul has never scored a Test century against Zimbabwe - he needs them and Sri Lanka to complete the set - and he would not be hurried in pursuit of one here. He absorbed 207 of the 378 balls Zimbabwe sent down, with only the occasional glide through the covers or crabbed flick to leg to demonstrate that he was actively pursuing runs. Twenty more of them will take him to a 28th Test hundred, one behind Bradman.
He had some luck early on, surviving a handful of half-chances, as well as a forlorn review of an lbw appeal. Zimbabwe's application could not be faulted and the plodding run rate attested to their dogged approach in the field - as much as to Chanderpaul's natural mindset - but the spin that had manifested itself so extravagantly on the first day was largely absent for Graeme Cremer and Prosper Utseya. Cremer drifted a googly past Chanderpaul's outside edge on the brink of tea but that was as close as Zimbabwe came to a wicket in the session.
They had started the second day in the best possible fashion, with a wicket from the first delivery - inevitably, it could only go downhill from there. Gayle then roused himself after an unusually tentative performance on the previous evening, although a brilliant catch from Kyle Jarvis removed him for 101.
Having collapsed in a tangle of limbs against the spin of Shane Shillingford and Samuels, Zimbabwe needed early wickets to prevent the hosts careering away from them. With Gayle and Samuels at the crease, and a deficit of only 61, there was every prospect of West Indies cracking on but Chatara threw a sleeper under the train with his opening delivery, full and wickedly swinging from leg stump to hit off as Samuels played around it.
The unexpected breakthrough ended a 79-run partnership and allowed the bowlers to create some pressure. Chatara, in particular, extracted seam movement from the pitch but there were to be few further rewards.
Chanderpaul may be among the most difficult batsmen in Test cricket to dislodge but he required a bit of luck to remain at the crease, edging Chatara short of the slips and nearly playing on to Jarvis. There was also a sharp chance to leg slip against Graeme Cremer but Hamilton Masakadza was unable to get his hands under the ball; a review was wasted when a Prosper Utseya delivery was shown to be pitching outside leg and missing off.
After scoring a couple of early boundaries, Chanderpaul battened down the hatches. Gayle, too, seemed becalmed, as 44 came from the first 17 overs of the day. Even in Test cricket, Gayle is hard to tie down, however, and he moved from 81 to 100 in five deliveries, three of them swatted lazily over the ropes for sixes. One run after reaching his century, Gayle miscued after taking the attack to Utseya again but it took a terrific catch from Jarvis, running in circles under a swirling ball at wide long-off, to remove him. Gayle had been sent to Room 101 but, at tea, Chanderpaul did not look in the mood to let Zimbabwe off that easily.